


Frankly, I Feel Insane, But You Say You Feel The Same

by A_Tomb_With_A_View



Series: They tell us to be different, but no one told me I could go too far [4]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex Has Anxiety (Julie and The Phantoms), F/F, F/M, Flynn demands the respect she deserves, Luke just wants 2 be loved, M/M, Nick is terrified of all of them, Reggie has fibromyalgia, Reggie just wants to be punk rock okay, Twitter b wilding, bobby is vibing W his suspenders, he/they willie, julie has had enough, non-binary willie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27966467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Tomb_With_A_View/pseuds/A_Tomb_With_A_View
Summary: Reggie had an aesthetic. And sure, it had somehow led to him having some kind of “bad boy” image, which was quite weird to think about, considering he spent his free time tearing up at cat videos, but he liked his aesthetic. He liked the black and the red and the leather, loved the eyeliner and the piercings, and the shadow of a tattoo that became visible when he shucked his jacket.So when Bobby’s rotating colour scheme became something of a thing for the band… Reggie just didn’t join in as much.
Relationships: Alex & Reggie & Bobby|Trevor Wilson & Julie & Flynn & Luke Patterson & Carrie wilson & Nick, Alex & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Carrie Wilson, Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Willie, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Reggie, Flynn/Carrie Wilson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Nick/his maths homework, Reggie & Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: They tell us to be different, but no one told me I could go too far [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032153
Comments: 71
Kudos: 322





	Frankly, I Feel Insane, But You Say You Feel The Same

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiiiiii   
> I’m really tired, this has taken me like three days, and I have so many other things to be doing, but sleep is for people with functioning circadian rhythms and work is for people who can focus for extended periods of time, so instead here’s 7000 words of rambling, based in part off this [post](https://reggie-with-eyeliner.tumblr.com/post/636506743876255744/okay-hear-me-out-reggie-with-eyeliner-and-a)
> 
> Also just for clarity’s sake; Willie is he/they within so I kind of just went back and forth with pronouns :))

It wasn’t that Reggie didn’t love Bobby, no matter that some of their fans insisted that it was a sign of some unpublished fallout. 

He did, he loved Bobby in a way he could never fully explain, in a way that always had him reaching for the tales of old, where people had the words and the time to describe every single emotion, in a way that had him scribbling down lyrics that had Luke scrubbing his eyes from time to time, in a way that left him sprawled out on Alex’s bed in the middle of the night, beer in hand, as he ranted and raved about how Bobby’s eyes had caught the flashing stage lights during their last show and how for a moment he’d looked utterly gorgeous and ethereal and  _ angelic _ ; features thrown into sharp relief by the shadows, eyes flashing a million colours like they contained the entire universe, grin electric and feral as he leaned into Reggie’s space. 

It was just… well. 

Reggie had an  _ aesthetic.  _ And sure, it had somehow led to him having some kind of “bad boy” image, which was quite weird to think about, considering he spent his free time tearing up at cat videos, but he liked his aesthetic. He liked the black and the red and the leather,  _ loved  _ the eyeliner and the piercings, and the shadow of a tattoo that became visible when he shucked his jacket. 

So when Bobby’s rotating colour scheme became something of a  _ thing  _ for the band… Reggie just didn’t join in as much. 

It had started small: someone had pointed out how Bobby’s suspenders, guitar strap, and converse had all matched, some neat shade of blood red that matched Reggie’s aesthetic in a way that made warmth bloom in his chest. From there, fans had started pointing out that Bobby did that quite often, at which point he made more of an effort to do it. Reggie hadn’t minded at all - it was cute, and Bobby had ended up reorganising their closet so he had a little space to line up his suspenders, converse and guitar straps by colour to make sure he could match each colour.

Then it had become a little more of a thing - Alex got a new drum skin with their logo just outlined, and carefully coloured it in to match Bobby’s colour du jour before a performance. Then Luke’s collection of colourful shoelaces were organised by Julie so that he could join the fun. Then his arm ties. Then Alex’s other half - Willie, literally the most awesome person on the planet - got Alex a colour wheel of thin t-shirts that looked exactly like the type he usually wore to play.

But Reggie already had a  _ look _ , and it wasn’t like Alex’s - snarky but wholesome guy on the verge of either mental collapse or gay panic at all times, shockingly easily to convey with an oversized hoodie and a panicked peace sign - or Luke’s - California man puts his entire bank account and his parent’s approval towards embodying rock’n’roll/sleep deprived college student fusion vibe - or even Bobby’s - local queer decides colour coordination and suspenders are now “in” and is somehow attractive enough to make it a thing - it required certain choices, a certain level of dedication. He couldn’t exactly just swap out his black wife beater for a pink crop top just because that was Bobby’s colour for that night’s gig. 

Unfortunately, the guys did not seem to agree. 

“Are you  _ sure  _ you can’t just wear a blue flannel instead of a red one tonight?” Luke asked sceptically, running his fingers through Julie’s hair slowly, careful not to tug too much on her curls. 

“Yeah, Reg!” Alex nodded, eyes half shut and his head on Willie’s thigh, legs thrown over Bobby. “Support your man.” 

“I do!” Reggie insisted. “I change the balls on the bar of my daiths. Bobby knows they’re there. I’m sure he feels supported, right babe?” 

Bobby snorted. “Baby, the piercer told you not to bother paying the extra two dollars on coloured balls when you got them done because they’d be so hard to see, but I don’t mind anyway. I wasn’t even trying to make this a thing in the first place, these idiots just saw ride or die on the friendship contract and thought it applied to everything.” 

Reggie narrowed his eyes. “Are you saying I’m not ride-or-die enough? Do I have to get your name tattooed on my rib cage?” 

“No!” The three of them disagreed vehemently, Alex sitting up sharply. 

Willie squinted. “Um. Reg. I love you, you know this. But, like… don’t you have fibromyalgia? Isn’t your rib cage… specifically… the most pressure-sensitive place for you? Wouldn’t - and I know you’ve got more tattooes than me, so you’re the expert here - but, wouldn’t getting a tattoo on your rib cage be fucking stupid?” 

Nick made a strangled sound, shoulders shaking with barely surpressed laughter. “Reg, you let Bobby have a go at playing your bass. We all know how in love with him you are. Please don’t tattoo your rib cage.” 

“Besides,” Carrie added, not looking up from her phone. “Everyone knows that as soon as you get a tattoo for your relationship, the relationship is doomed. It’s karma for being dumb as shit.” 

Flynn opened her mouth to rebuke that, but after a moment sagged back against Carrie’s side. “She’s right.” 

“Ugh, fine,” Reggie caved, laying down carefully half on top of Alex. “But I’m still wearing red.”

“You’re the actual worst,” Luke informed him, expression displeased but tone fond. “And the internet thinks you don’t like Bobby.” 

“The internet thinks  _ what?”  _ Bobby, Alex and Reggie asked as Reggie propped himself up with one arm. 

“But Reggie is like… so fucking in love?” Alex added, nose scrunched in confusion. “The heart eyes are impossible to miss.”

Bobby furrowed his brows. “There’s a video of us making out backstage somewhere on Youtube,” he said slowly. “And a compilation video of every time we’ve gotten close enough to kiss onstag - Flynn sent me it.”

“You’re welcome!” She called, high fiving Carrie. 

“Wait!” Reggie scrambled back to his feet. “They don’t think I’m the token straight, do they? Nick please tell me I don’t come across as the token straight.” 

Nick looked up at him with a slightly scared expression. “Reg, you made me watch Sharpay the movie whilst you cried on my pancakes because Bobby told you he loved you. I will  _ never  _ be able to see you as straight.”

“Aw, babe.” Bobby pressed his hand to his heart, looking touched. “I reached Sharpay on the movie scale? I’m honoured.”

Flynn flashed Julie a questioning glance, but she shrugged. “Don’t even ask, honestly.” 

“Flynn,” Reggie turned to her, eyes imploring. “Can you do something with the Instagram or Twitter to make sure the internet knows that I love Bobby very much, I’ve just got an aesthetic to stick to?” 

“Sure, Reg.” She patted his cheek. “Now go get all your stuff, boys, you’ve got a sound check in an hour.” 

“Yes ma’am!” The four of them saluted her and scrambled to gather their things - as disastrously as they did everything, much to their friends’ horror. By the time they were assembled back in the living room with gym bags and everything they needed, Bobby had somehow gained a smear of neon green across his nose, and Alex had drumsticks sticking out of all seven pockets of his jeans. 

Julie breathed out slowly through her nose. “You guys have been doing gigs for years. You’ve been doing _big_ gigs since the Orpheum. How are you so bad at getting ready for them?”

“Hey!” Reggie did his best to shoot her an indignant look whilst screwing the ball onto the industrial in his right ear. “That only took us ten minutes, and nobody’s bleeding. This is a success, people.” 

Bobby swung his arm around Reggie. “Exactly! Alex has enough drumsticks for when he inevitably breaks one during the sound check, Reg has the backs on all of his earrings, Luke is wearing two of the same shoes, and I have not broken my nose. We’re practically living the dream here!” 

Willie and Carrie exchanged glances. 

“Plus,” Luke added before either of them could say anything. “I even remembered to turn the oven off!” 

The other three oh’ed slowly and turned to look at him. “Is that where the smokey smell was coming from?” 

Flynn held her arms out to Julie and Willie. “Escape whilst you still can,” she joked. “Before you lose too many brain cells and forget how stupid they are.” 

Willie sighed. “It’s too late, I know in my heart of hearts that he’s a dumbass but he’s just so goddamn pretty.” 

Alex flopped against him, wincing and readjusting himself until he found a position that wouldn’t result in auto-impalement via drumstick. “Aw, thanks, babe. You’re pretty, too.” 

Carrie held her arms up in a ‘T’. “Timeout!” She called. “Can we just address how Alex the drummer and normal Alex are different people?”

Bobby raised an eyebrow. “Uh, how?” 

“Pretty are Alex is the same person all the time, Carrie,” Reggie said slowly, glancing between Alex and Carrie. 

“No, no.” Julie shook her head, making grabby hands at Luke until he sat back next to her. “Carrie’s right - Alex wouldn’t have been able to take a compliment fifteen minutes ago, let alone  _ return  _ one.” 

Willie pointed a finger at her, carding the fingers of his other hand through Alex’s hair. “The girls are right, man. You’re  _ way  _ more confident, not just on stage, but in the build up and run off to playing as well.” 

“Well, yeah,” Alex agreed, nodding slowly. “I know I’m a good drummer, otherwise I wouldn’t be in a rock band with rapidly growing success and a decent following, would I?” 

“Awww,” Bobby, Reggie and Luke leaned into each other, making weird faces. “Baby’s got self esteem!” 

“I hate all of you,” Alex told them, too concerned with playing with Willie’s hair for it to have much heat. “So much. I’m gonna go - I don’t know - be a studio drummer for bands that don’t have one, or something.” 

Luke snorted. “And what happens when they give you no creative control and they ask you to play a piece you know is gonna sound shit but you can’t say anything because you’re basically just recording equipment?”

Nick got to his feet. “I’m gonna go…” he pointed at the door. “And, like. I’ll meet you at the venu… once you’ve fought this out… because I don’t want to get killed in the crossfire of whatever… this… dissolves into. Cool? Cool.” 

“Nick…” Flynn sighed. “The van is yours. We need you to stay here to drive it.” 

——

“Reginald I swear to fuck, if you don’t sit  _ still-” _ Flynn glared, eyeliner pen in one hand, the other gripping Reggie’s collar to keep him in place. 

Reggie pouted, trying his best to mimic the way Luke widened his eyes that had everybody giving him what he wanted. The effect was probably ruined by the black tear tracks he was pretty sure he had from poking himself in the eye attempting to do his eyeliner by himself. “But what if you poke me in the eye?” 

She patted his cheek gently. “Beauty is pain, but I’m less likely to poke your eye than you are, you wonderful little disaster, so just let me work my magic, okay?” 

“...okay,” he relented, reaching out with one hand until someone grabbed it. “Thank you.” 

“No problem,” Willie said, squeezing his hand. “I think someone is going to get hurt by Bobby’s suspenders, so I’m definitely safer over here.”

“Oh it’s gonna be Luke,” Reggie wagered, doing his best to keep his eyes open for Flynn. “Alex in drumming mode could probably beat the shit out of all of us, so Bobby would never let it be Alex.” 

Flynn snorted, somehow managing to keep her hand perfectly steady. “Alex in drumming mode could do  _ what?” _

“Y’know, when he takes off his huge oversized hoodie and remembers that he’s absolutely jacked, and gets in his confidence zone and remembers that he’s a total boss, and ses Willie totally thirsting after him and remembers he’s hot? Unstoppable,” Reggie explained, 

Willie coughed, pink crawling up their cheeks. “I wouldn’t call it thirsting.” 

Flynn raised an eyebrow. “Really? Then what would you call it?” 

“Uh…” they glanced up just as Alex settled on the arm of their chair, squeezing an ice pack like a stress ball with one hand, resting the other on the back of Willie’s neck. 

Willie turned a rather alarming shade of red. Reggie would get it, because it wasn’t a very Alex move, except Alex got like this before every show, and it was 10:1 odds that there’d be some romcom-worthy kiss after the gig, just like there was  _ every  _ time. 

“I think Luke’s gonna kill Bobby,” Alex stage whispered, mindlessly playing with a bit of Willie’s hair. “And I’d help but Julie’s live-streaming it and I don’t want to deprive the world of the glorious right hook Bobby’s gonna give him when he gets half a chance.” 

Flynn put her pen down slowly, then inhaled deeply through her nose, eyes shut. “I swear to Mariah Carey, one day you boys are gonna put me in an early grave.” 

Reggie and Alex both held up three fingers. “Three… Two… One.” They both put one finger down with every count, and on one, there was a sharp twanging sound, and then a heavy thud as Luke went down. 

“Oh, shit!” Bobby looked up at them, mouth parted slightly in shock. “Uh. Well. That’s… not good. Anybody got any ice?” 

Alex rolled his eyes and threw the ice pack at Bobby. “Predictable, much?” 

“Predictable, much?” Bobby mocked as he helped Luke sit up, pressing the pack against his left eye. “I’ll have you know, Alexander, that there is an envelope in my back pocket containing our bets for how exactly you’re going to execute your post-gig kiss based on the colour of your shoes, the fact that you’ve got your earring in, and the number of zips on your jeans.” 

Alex pulled a face and turned pink, but before he could respond, Flynn clapped her hands together. 

“If y’all don’t sit down and shut up,  _ right now,  _ I will invoke my best friend rights  _ and  _ my girlfriend rights, and there will be no Julie or Carrie for a month!” She threatened, Carrie and Julie nodded in agreement. “And don’t think I won’t get Ray in on it.” 

Reggie felt his eyes widened, and looked frantically between Alex, Bobby and Flynn. “No Ray? For a  _ month?”  _

“None,” Flynn affirmed. 

Alex narrowe his eyes. “Reggie if you start crying and ruin your eyeliner again, I’m taking Bobby on a best bros weekend trip.” 

“Woah!” Luke waved an arm around, a little disoriented. “There will be no best bros weekends without me, and no revoking my girlfriend rights!” 

Willie cleared his throat. “Hey, Flynn… you should get four of them backpack leashes.” He grinned evilly.. 

“No!” Alex jumped to his feet, stumbling backwards until he was pressed flat against the wall, a drumstick in each hand like he was prepared to fight someone off. 

Reggie dived behind the sofa, and Bobby followed after him moments later, the pair of them peeking over the edge to keep an eye on things, as Luke grabbed the chair next to him and held it aloft like some sort of shield. 

Nick tugged his fedora over his face. “One day you guys aren’t gonna scare me. Not today, but one day.”

Carrie raised one eyebrow neatly and crossed her arms. “Anyone want to explain that?”

Willie laughed. “Ray took the boys and Julie and Carlos to Disneyland two years ago, and got them backpack leashes.” 

Flynn shook her head in disbelief. “They were twenty years old two years ago?” 

“Excuse you,” Reggie straightened out a little so his offended frown could be seen. “I was twenty one, thank you very much.” 

“Nope.” Julie shook her head. “We don’t talk about you being the oldest, Reg. C’mon, you know this.” 

“Woah!” Nick held both hands up. “Can we circle back to Ray making the boys wear backpack leashes when they were all over twenty? And how traumatised they apparently are from it?” 

Alex and Bobby shuddered, speaking at the same time. “Never again.” 

Luke slowly put the chair down, pulling the ice away from his eye. “We have to go on in an hour, we will not talk about this and curse ourselves. You can find out later. ‘Lex, I swear to Jimmy Hendrix, if your partner shows  _ any  _ pictures, I will sue for emotional damages, and I’m coming for your signed Red poster.”

“Luke…” Alex raised his gaze heavenward. “I’m not married to Willie. You can’t gain my assets by suing them.”

Reggie leaned into Bobby’s side as the other two started bickering about whether or not Alex and Willie could be considered married. “Bro,” he whispered, tugging on his suspenders.

Bobby looked down. “Yeah?” 

“Do you think Flynn will kill us if we sneak out and get nachos?” He asked, tucking a strand of hair behind Bobby’s ear.

“Oh, one hundred percent.” Bobby traced his thumb over the bit of Reggie’s tattoo that had become visible with how his jacket had slid off his arms when he’d climbed over the sofa. “We’ll die. We’ll deserve it. When Lexi and Luke stop yelling at each other we’ll have to start doing actual band things, and if we’re not here for it then Flynn will get stressed, then either take it out on us herself, or…”

“Carrie..” Reggie whispered, shivering. The last time they’d stressed Flynn out so much Carrie had stepped in, the four of them hadn’t been able to look either girl in the eye for three weeks. 

Nick army crawled behind the sofa. “Hey, fellas.”

“Nick… what the fuck?” The pair of them asked in unison. 

“I was thinking of sneaking out to go get nachos, do you want any?” He whispered, rolling onto his back. 

Reggie held his hand out for a high five. “You’re my new favourite non-Alex, man, I would love some nachos.” 

Bobby cleared his throat. “Erm. Excuse me?” 

“Sorry, my favourite non-Alex, non-Bobby. Happy?” 

“Hmm,” he pulled a face. “For now.” 

——

“Julie!” Luke ran ahead of the others to kiss his girlfriend’s cheek, grinning breathlessly. “You need to start filming so we have evidence of who’s bet was right.” 

Julie leaned into him, expression questioning, but quickly got her phone out and started filming regardless. 

Bobby and Reggie joined them next, both of them flushed and sweaty, smiles still sharp in the way they always were during a gig. Bobby grabbing the envelope with their bets in and reading them out, knowing Alex would stay behind for a couple minutes to help the techs with his drums. 

“Reggie says he thinks Alex will grab Willie’s shirt, because he played with his oldest pair of drumsticks, but will end up being the one shoved against a wall because he’s wearing the ring Luke gave him for Christmas. Is that still your bet?” He read out, glancing at Reggie.

Reggie nodded. “Aye aye.” 

“Luke bets that Lexi will drag Willie out the room  _ before  _ kissing him because he’s wearing the jeans with seven zips, and that it will take them ten minutes to return, but neither of them will look like they’ve been making out much, because Lexi brought his favourite pink hoodie.” He looked up at Luke. “No changes?”

Luke shook his head. “I’m still confident.” 

Bobby grinned. “Well, I bet that Al will be the one shoving Willie against the breakfast bar thing because he’s got his earring in, and I reckon he’ll grab them by the belt loops because he did the full hand finger spin pre-show, not the two finger spin. Oh, and I bet he’ll do the thing where he bends Willie back slightly because they’re both wearing the hot dog socks Flynn got them after our first professional gig, but there will be no room leaving because Lexi is wearing his grey-ace pride bracelet today which means it’ll just be a I’m-pumped-and-I-love-Willie kiss, not anything else.” 

Luke and Reggie groaned, slumping against each other. 

“The socks,” Luke complained. 

Reggie nodded sadly. “The bracelet.” 

“Why do we never even notice the bracelet?” 

“How do we always forget about the socks?” Reggie looked up at Bobby balefully. “How do you get this every time, babe? Lexi and me are like… the  _ same  _ person, but I’ve never once beaten you at this.” 

Bobby laughed and collapsed into an armchair heavily, tugging Reggie down into his lap. “Willie is my best bro, and part of the best bro code is to document what Alex is wearing when he does certain things so that my best bro can make sure they are best prepared for however Alex may kiss him.” 

“And you are the ultimate best bro,” Willie agreed, holding his fist out. “You guys were incredible out there, as always.” 

Bobby bumped knuckles with him. “Thanks, pal. Here he comes now..” 

All eyes turned to Alex as he strode in, hair a mess, cheeks flushed, drumsticks sticking out his back pocket - a very specific combination of things that Reggie knew via Bobby was likely to make Willie incredibly short on words. Exactly as Bobby predicted, he tugged Willie in by the belt loops and kissed him deeply, backing him against the breakfast bar/desk in the corner of the room, until he was forced to bend back a little. Julie turned the camera to Bobby, who was smugly collecting cash from Reggie and Luke. 

Reggie rested his head on Bobby’s shoulder and smiled at the camera lazily. “One day, Lexi and I are gonna figure out actual telepathic communication, and then I’m gonna win,” he declared. 

Nick threw himself dramatically onto the free sofa. “You guys do  _ not  _ need to be more telepathic. I’m already surrounded by you four doing your weird stuff, and Willie casually tuning in and out of it, and Flynn and Carrie doing their terrifying double act, there does not need to be  _ more  _ telepathy in this friendship group!” 

Bobby ‘hmm’ed. “Yeah, but, if Alex and Reggie achieve full telepathic communication, that means it’s possible for me and Willie to achieve telepathic communication, which means it’s possible for all of us.”

Nick stared at him blankly. “I’m going to have a fucking meltdown.” 

“No, no, no.” Bobby grinned and held his hands up. “If we achieve full telepathic communication, we can all watch House of Cards even if only one of us has the TV.” 

Luke raised both eyebrows and held his arms out to Julie, who’d stopped filming. He waited for her to nestle into his side, then pointed at Bobby. “But then we would have no need for our tv bonding time, and then would we even be Best Bros?” 

“Luke!” Nick, Willie and Bobby all glared at Luke as Willie dragged Alex over. 

“We would never abandon tv bonding time,” Bobby insisted. “It just means we could have tv bonding time even when we’re cuddling our lovely boyfriends and girlfriends, and,” he glanced at Nick, “college maths homework, and so have no tv access.” 

Julie cleared her throat. “As interesting as this conversation has been, I think Bobby had a point he wanted to prove to Alex?” 

Bobby grinned. “Yeah, man. Check the Sunset Curve insta for the live Julie just saved.” 

“If I’m about to watch you accurately predict how I kissed Willie based on my clothes, I’m gonna throw a fit,” Alex promised, pulling his hoodie on. “I will throw things.”

“Julie, don’t give him the phone, he’s got projectiles,” Reggie warned immediately, making grabbie hands at Carrie until she passed him Bobby’s sweater. “That’s his I-will-actually-throw-things tone.” 

“I’m so concerned,” Flynn muttered. “I don’t know if it’s because Alex threatens to throw things so regularly that you’ve learned to distinguish whether he’ll do it seriously or not, or if it’s because you spent so much time listening to the changes in Alex’s tone that you can predict his intent.” 

Reggie pulled a face. “Bobby can predict exactly how Lexi is gonna kiss Willie based on his clothes and  _ I’m  _ the weird one?” 

Nick held a hand up like he was in a classroom. “Before there’s some kind of war, or Alex and Reggie showdown which inevitably ends with them sitting half on top of each other and Bobby and Willie either pouting or doing some weird bro ritual like making the microwave explode, can someone tell me what was up with the backpack leashes?” 

“Ray discovered backpack leashes, jokingly decided we were irresponsible children - which, rude, much? - got us wear them around Disneyland via odds off, which was really funny until people started recognising us, at which point Alex had a panic attack, Reggie went into total shutdown, and i had to stop Bobby throwing punches,” Luke summarised, staring at a point above Nick’s head like he was recounting some horrific war story. 

Willie snorted. “Then the Disneyland employee was too busy fangirling over Luke’s arms to get Reggie a hot water bottle, and Bobby almost knocked himself out trying to fight Luke so he could fight her, and Alex decided the most comfortable place to be was under an awning and we lost him for an hour.” 

“It’s grounding,” Alex defended himself. “My therapist says it’s self-soothing which is healthy.” 

“Aw, I know, man,” Willie assured him, throwing his legs over Alex’s lap. “But we did lose you for an hour, which was very stressful.” 

Alex nodded in acknowledgment. “That’s fair.” 

Carrie inhaled deeply, pulling Flynn closer. “I am constantly in awe of how you manage these disasters, Flynn. At first I thought they were just scared of you, or had appropriate levels of respect, but now I know they’re too dumb to feel fear, and I do  _ not  _ understand how you do it.” 

——

“Baaaaaabbbbeeeeeeee,” Reggie whined, poking Bobby’s chest. “Bobby, c’mon, man, the internet is saying we hate each other again.” 

Bobby groaned and rolled over, then fell off the couch. “Why?” He asked from the floor, not bothering to move to do more than tug a blanket down over himself. 

Reggie scrolled a little further through the screenshots Nick had sent him. “Uh, apparently I’m cheating on you with Alex, who’s enticed by my bad boy looks and devilish onstage persona.”

“Huh.” Bobby grabbed a pillow as well, patting the couch in Reggie’s general vicinity. “Am I cheating on you today, too, or is it just your time to shine?” 

“Lemme look.” He kept looking, holding his free hand out so Bobby could take it. “Oh, you’re bitter that we can’t have sex because I’m…” he motioned to his ribs, “broken, apparently.” 

Bobby sat up. “I’m sorry? Did I- did I make up wearing an ace flag when we played pride or - ?” 

Reggie shrugged. “It’s all fine, though, because you’re having an emotional affair with Carrie.” 

“Carrie’s my  _ sister _ ,” Bobby said slowly, like Reggie wouldn’t understand if he spoke normally. 

“Oh, wait, no, sorry, it’s Nick that’s having an emotional affair with Carrie,  _ you’re  _ making eyes at Julie.” 

Bobby laid back down. “Nope. Not today.” 

“It’s because you’re bitter that… um, you’re bitter because I’m trying to get more attention by not converting to the colour scheme,” Reggie explained. “Duh. If I had a colour scheme that you weren’t following I’d totally go stare into Alex’s eyes.” 

“I’m going back to bed, babe,” Bobby said, apparantly giving up on rebuking everything. “You can come join me if you want. I’m not doing today.” 

Reggie paused. “We could… we could do a blanket fort in the living room? Bully Willie into making their super secret hot chocolate recipe? Plead with Carrie to lend us her complete collection of every Barbie film ever made?” 

“Now  _ that’s  _ a shout.” Bobby held his hand up for a high five. “I knew I loved you for a reason. But no cuddling with Alex, I don’t want him to get enticed by your bad boy looks and devilish persona, y’know?” He teased 

Reggie slapped his hand. “Just because I like to wear red and a bit of leather doesn’t mean I’m going for  _ bad boy _ . Who’s the one with an actual, real life rap sheet?” 

“Oh my god!” Bobby stood up and started shoving the sofas together. “Willie got arrested too, okay? If someone is going to call my little brother the f slur, then I’m going to beat the shit out of him, and the police can get fucked.” 

“Besides,” Alex called from the doorway, “Bobby’s got glittery converse in every Dirty Candy colour so he can be a supportive big brother, and he chooses which ones to wear over the colour of the dancer who’s most nervous. So, like, pink when it’s a new song Carrie’s written and she’s not sure of how well it’ll go down.” 

Bobby looked two seconds away from tackling Alex. “How did you even know about that?” 

Alex shrugged and sat cross legged on the arm of the sofa, cradling a steaming mug in his arms. “Firstly, I’m dating your best friend, I know everything, secondly, I’m best friends with your sister because we’re ultimate sapphic/achillean solidarity, and thirdly, you stole the plasters from my fanny pack so I rooted through your closet to try and find the first aid kid I put there.” 

Bobby threw a pillow at him. “I didn’t steal your plasters, you bastard, I  _ used  _ your plasters, with your knowledge and permission. Secondly, why the fuck did you put a first aid kit in our closet?” 

Reggie raised his hand sheepishly. “I asked for one after the fifth time I had to go to Alex’s room to get an alcohol wipe to clean a piercing. Anyway, I knew about the shoes, they’re very cute, and I’ve borrowed the red ones a couple times.” 

“Oh, are we talking about Bobby’s Dirty Candy shoe collection?” Julie asked as she padded in. She stopped in front of Alex and poked his shoulder until he slid down onto the actual sofa and allowed her to lay with her head on his chest. “It’s cute, right?” 

“Right!” Reggie and Alex agreed, nodding emphaticall. 

“I’m going to find and bother Willie,” Bobby huffed. “He’s my favourite.” 

Reggie just shrugged. “That’s fair, babe. See if you can get them to make hot chocolate, I’ll pester Alex to pester Carrie for Barbie films.” 

Alex looked up from where he’d been messing with Julie’s hair. “Why are we watching Barbie?” 

“Oh, the internet thinks we hate each other,” Bobby and Reggie replied. 

“Again?” Julie complained. “But you’re so… sappy. You’ve even started colour coding your bracelets?” 

Reggie threw his arms up. “Thank you! Plus, the colour coding isn’t even an actual  _ thing,  _ it’s just one time when were in like  _ fourth  _ grade, Bobby told Alex and Luke in an argument that he felt like an extra, and even though it’s been like, a decade and a half, they still always make sure to  _ extra  _ appreciate him so he knows they love him, and I do not, because I can use my words.” 

Bobby coughed from where he was still half hugging the doorframe, looking touched. “Aw, Al, really?” 

Alex refused to look at him. “It’s too early for emotional conversations,” he mumbled into Julie’s hair. 

“It’s three in the afternoon?” Julie questioned, then seemed to let it go. “Nevermind, it would be mean of me to expect you four to have a grip on time.” 

“Yeah,” Alex defended, “but we went to sleep at eight am, so I’ve only been awake for, like, fifteen minutes.” 

“You went to sleep at eight  _ am?”  _ Julie asked, standing up. “What the hell were you doing before then?” She glared at them, hands on her hips.

The three of them immediately looked in different directions to avoid eye contact. “Nothing!” 

“Boys…” 

“We got a tattoo, okay?” They all broke at the same time, edging away from her and towards each other. 

Julie blinked. “What.”

“Well,” Alex started, waving his arms around anxiously. “Reggie wanted another one because he’s a weirdo but because he had no advance planning he couldn’t arrange for the good painkillers which meant it would obviously super-hurt him so we promised to go for moral support-”

Reggie slumped against Alex’s side. “-Except Luke had had a couple drinks and accidentally asked if they had room for four without specifying that he meant one tattoo-ee and three spectators, not three tattoo-ees.” 

“And then we felt too bad to cancel the appointment because one of them said their son was a fan and that they’d figured some sexuality stuff out because of an interview we did a while ago, so obviously we agreed to getting tattoos,” Bobby finished, scrubbing the back of his neck. 

Julie opened and closed her mouth several times, then just sighed. “Firstly, I expect to see these, in a moment. Secondly, is there anything else I should know about?” 

“Luke got his ear pierced,” they all admitted as one, attempting to make a coordinated movement towards the kitchen, where there were fewer projectiles within Julie’s reach.

“Luke’s terrified of needles,” she said immediately, then paused. “All of you got new piercings, didn’t you?” 

“Well….” 

She raised an eyebrow. 

Alex cracked first. “A little one. Each. He said he wanted one because he felt left out but then he got really freaked out so I said I’d get another since I’ve been wanting my traguses done ever since Reg got his done but in a funky li’l gay way not in a i-want-as-much-metal-in-my-face-as-possible way, but Reg does want as much metal in his face as possible so he was obviously down and got his septum done - finally - and then Bobby didn’t want us to call him a pussy, so he got his helix done.” 

Julie stared at them blankly for a moment, then sat down heavily. “I deserve hot chocolate. Alex, go pester your boyfriend, I will get Carrie to bring Flynn and Barbie. We’re watching the Fairytopia trilogy first because Nori was my first crush and you’re all horrible.” 

“Yes ma’am.” Alex immediately ran upstairs, probably glad he’d gotten out before they’d ended up admitting anything else.

“And you two,” Julie added, pointing two fingers at her eyes then turning them to Bobby and Reggie. “No more convincing my boyfriend to get needles near his body, he’s going to faint when it’s time to clean this thing and  _ I’m  _ the one who’s gonna have to deal with that.” 

They nodded meekly and as soon as she looked away Bobby was ushering Reggie into the kitchen. “She’s gonna kill us,” he hissed

Reggie nodded as he turned on the kettle. “In general or for something specific because either works.” 

“Uh, because Luke’s first tattoo is Leonardo from the ninja turtles?” 

“Oh…  _ Oh.”  _

——

“Alex, I need you to find me a link to buy a pink leather jacket,” Reggie said as he collapsed into a barstool next to Alex in a shitty bar hidden on a side street in downtown LA. It wasn’t really their place, but also it kinda was their place. The others never came there out of a respect for its Alex&Reggie history, and they’d never thought to invite any of them. Reggie knew Alex had brought Willie before, and he’d been with Bobby a couple of times, but when it was Alex&Reggie time it was just for them, and since this place had helped raise them, it seemed as good a place as any. When they’d grown in popularity, they’d done their best to support the bar without making it a hotspot, and done a pretty decent job of keeping it on the down low. 

“I’m… okay.” Alex shook his head and shrugged after a moment. “What shade of pink?” 

Reggie pulled a face. “Oh. Um. Whatever shade of pink you guys are going with for the gig next Thursday?” 

Alex grinned. “You’re wearing pink because it’s our two year anniversary of playing the Orpheum, and you’re a romantic at heart?” 

“I hate you. But also yes.” Reggie signalled the bartender for two pints. “But also because there is a tumblr tag specifically for attempting to disprove our relationship just because I have a vibe going and if I have to dip that man on stage and tell him I love him with the mics picking up everything then I guess I’m gonna do it looking the part.” 

“I… you don’t have to… okay..” 

“I’m not actually going to do that,” Reggie reassured him, then frowned. “Probably. It’s a last resort. Anyways, I asked Julie and she started talking about the colour wheel, and it just got me thinking about  _ cheese  _ wheels and then I ended up at a wine and cheese thing at San Antonio’s on Lamar Street, and then I remembered that I still need a jacket, and also nail varnish.” 

Alex reared back. “You went to a cheese and wine event? Without me? Reginald!” 

Reggie plastered himself against Alex. “I promise I will take you there if you pretty please buy me a jacket and nail varnish in the colour you three are going with.” 

“... oversized or snug fit?” 

“Uh, I am trying to maintain my aesthetic at least a little bit here, Lexi.” 

“Snug fit it is, then.” 

——

Reggie slammed the apartment door behind himself as soon as he made it past the threshold, locking and chaining it quickly, ribs pulsing with an oddly hot and intense pain. “Someone just tried to kiss me, can I have a hot water bottle and Willie, please?” 

Bobby and Nick sprang into action almost immediately, Nick sprinting upstairs to find Willie, and Bobby yelling for someone to boil the kettle. 

He moved closer and offered a hand to guide Reggie to the couch. “Hey, there, baby,” he said gently. “You need anything else? I can call Carrie and Flynn if you wanna make a media thing of it, or we can do a full blanket den, or I can take the boys and Julie out so you and Willie can just have a little you time.” 

Two years ago, Reggie probably would’ve immediately gone for the blanket den with everyone there, the idea of asking anyone to leave the place where they lived too selfish for him to possibly consider. But it had been a long time since they’d just been four guys and their friends trying to make it in a big world, and he knew enough about himself - and his family - to recognise that everyone pressing in and making sure he was okay would probably be a little claustrophobic at best. 

“Can you take everyone out? I just. I don’t..” he trailed off, knowing Bobby would get it. 

Bobby nodded, holding his fist out gently. “Yeah, ‘course, bro. Text me when you’re feeling better, okay? We’ll grab some pringles and chocolate for you whilst we’re out.”

“You’re the best,” Reggie told him sincerely. “And hugging you right now would suck but I’m hugging you in spirit.”

“Thank you.” Bobby smiled fondly, then popped back into the kitchen. After a minute, everyone had gathered in the living room to grab coats and shoes. Julie handed Reggie the hot water bottle, and Willie sat down on the big sofa, and the rest of them filed out. 

“C’mere,” they patted the sofa next to them. “Need a pillow wall?” 

Reggie nodded gratefully, head feeling too cottony to bother trying to form words. Once Willie had fully padded their side with pillows to make it as comfy as possible, he laid down half on top of Willie, eyes fluttering shut.

“Hurts..” he mumbled, reached out to grab Willie’s hand.

Willie hummed quietly and squeezed his fingers gently. “I know, man, but you can just lay there for as long as you need, okay? Then you can tell me about the crazy person who tried to kiss you, okay?” 

Reggie considered that for a moment. “Reggie and Willie bonding night special?” 

“It’s so much quicker to say nachos and ice cream, bro,” Willie reminded him, brushing a curl of hair off his forehead in a manner that oddly reminded Reggie of his mom, back before she’d gotten too caught up with arguments with his dad to have enough time for that kind of thing.

“Have you considered… shut the fuck up.” 

Willie snorted. “Have you considered that instead of bitching about people saying you’re not committed to Bobby, you could just get jewellery in all of his colours and let Julie put an excessive number of pictures on the band account to prove that you’re coordinating, and big up local businesses in the process?” 

“... literally never shut up, you’re the smartest person alive and you’re the only person I’ve ever considered worthy of Alex,” Reggie said immediately, hissing as he shifted the hot water bottle to a different part of his torso. 

Willie made a sound that was disturbingly akin to a sniffle. “Thanks, Reg.” 

“Are you  _ crying _ ?” 

Willie shrugged, jostling Reggie a little even through the pillows. 

“I’m just really glad I crashed into that idiot and met you guys, y’know? I may have left my sanity back on the Hollywood Boulevard and somehow become a bit of a Twitter cryptic, but I got Alex, three crazy sisters, three crazier best friends, and the best little brother in the whole world. Knocking him out of a panic attack was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

“... now  _ I’m  _ crying.” Reggie wiped his eyes, laughing wetly at himself. “Not cool, bro… I love you though. I’m glad you decided Alex waa good target practice, too.” 

“I love you, too,” Willie rested his cheek against the top of Reggie’s head. “Even if you are all dumbasses.” 

“I can’t even deny that one.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are much appreciated, feel free to drop by my [tumblr](https://a-tomb-with-a-view.tumblr.com/post/623186092532924416/master-list-for-everything-ive-written-so-far) For a chat or a request or to check out my sick memes, tho if it’s for a request please note that I have a university interview next week so I likely won’t get a chance to start anything that has any actual plot and isn’t just me regurgitating whatever my brain has decided is interesting until the Christmas holidays (a week and a half) but I’m still totally happy to have a look!


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